$25K Reward Offered In Case Of MA Boy Who Disappeared 47 Years Ago

MASSACHUSETTS — The FBI is offering $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the party responsible for Andrew Amato's disappearance.

Andrew was four years old when he was last seen in Webster on Sept. 30, 1978, according to the FBI. The boy, also known as "Andy," was last seen by his sister and cousin at 11 a.m. on that day while playing in the woods near his Richard Avenue home.

Andrew was three foot six and 38 pounds at the time of his disappearance. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was wearing a maroon-colored snorkel jacket, jeans, a white Mickey Mouse t-shirt and brown shoes with a jogger stripe.

The FBI also said he had a one-inch scar on the right side of his head at the hairline and a mole behind his right ear.

"For me it’s been brutal. It’s been brutal because I feel somewhat responsible, so, um, I regret that my mother never found out before she passed," said Michelle Amato, Andrew's older sister, in a statement. "My father won’t talk about it. He won’t. He doesn’t want to hear anything about it unless somebody has actually found him."

A large-scale investigation has spanned 47 years. In the days after Andrew's disappearance, authorities searched parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. The FBI has also conducted hundreds of interviews.

"Imagine it was your child or your brother that went missing. Um, imagine what grief that would bring on to you, and how you would be able to cope without not knowing for 47 years," Michelle Amato said.

If you have any information, you should immediately contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or the Webster Police Department at 508-943-1212, ext. 1250. Tips can also be submitted online at tips.fbi.gov.

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